The Grafton Monster of Taylor County
The Grafton Monster of Taylor County is the second episode of Mountain Monsters season two, and the eighth episode overall. A hunch backed beast called The Headless horror brings the A.I.M.S. team to Taylor county, West Virginia, and they intend to capture the beast in an enormous box-trap. Section heading In Pleasants Co. West Virginia, Jeff meets with Buck, Trapper, and Huckleberry, with a brand new video from a man in Grafton West Virginia. The video shows a large bidepal humanoid slinking away from a field of cows. Judging by the video, Jeff believes the creature in question could be the legendary Grafton monster. Impressed by the evidence, Trapper decides to head to Grafton to talk to the farmer who got the video. On the way to Grafton, Jeff fills the guys in on the history of the area, saying it was fought over during the Civil war because it had access to the first trans-Appalachian railroad, and the first casuality of the war was killed in Grafton, Thornsbury Bailey Brown. As for the Grafton Monster (AKA the Headless Horror), Jeff says he was first sighted in the 1950's, weighs around 1000 pounds, has four feet wide shoulders, and a head which sloops down to the chest. Arriving in Grafton, the team meets the man who shot the video, a black angus cow farmer named "Wolfie". He tells them while filming his cows he saw and heard the creature, which sounded like the low bellow of a bull but much louder. Having heard stories of the Grafton Monster, Wolfie never believed them until now he says, and is quite concerned for the safety of his cattle as well as his own. Trapper considers the idea the Grafton monster may be a meat eater, as Wolfie's cows felt they were in danger otherwise they wouldn't be running. Taking the team down to where the monster was, they find a broken tree-limb many feet off the ground. Judging by how quickly and easily the creature moved the bush, the team believes it may have lived in the area for years. On the first night investigation the team searches for signs of the Headless horror in the woods a quarter mile from Wolfie's farm. Moving through thick woods for a while, Jeff picks up a large heat signature in front of them, which quickly jumps off the edge of the mountain. Fanning out, Buck finds a large path which the team follows, coming across a swinging deer feeder, showing the Grafton monster was likely just using it. While investigating the feeder, Jeff picks up the creature once again on the thermal. While deciding what to do next, a large crack sound comes from the distance. Following the sound, the team stumbles upon a deerstand, which Buck notices something on top of. Suddenly, the team is hit by a stomach churning smell, which the team finds to be cow afterbirth, much to Buck's disgust. They figure the Grafton Monster must have snatched a newborn calf and took it to the woods and ate it, proving he is carnivorous. Next day, Willy and Wild bill design and get to work a 10-foot tall log cage for the Grafton monster, with a log door which will drop down and trap it inside. Meanwhile, the rest of the team meets with a deer hunter named Dale, who, while scouting his hunting grounds found an abnormally large trail. He also presents a photo from his trailcam, which was on a log facing the trail,of the Grafton monster. Using a tape measure on the tree where the photo was taken, they determine the Grafton monster is between 8 and 9 feet tall. However, Dale has some additional evidence, saying what he found in the woods is the really the reason he called them. Taking out an object wrapped in cloth, Dale shows the team a huge plaster footprint cast, which he made a day after he got the trailcam photo. The footprint is twice as wide as a human's, but smaller in the heel, with a large arch, which may be how it gets around so quick. Knowing now for sure the Grafton Monster lives in the area, the team knows where to put a trap. After being informed by Trapper about the trail the monster has been using, Willy and Bill begin construction of the trap on the trail. They work all night digging holes for the logs and putting them in, although Wild Bill takes a short nap. In the evening, Trapper, Jeff, Buck, and Huckleberry meet their third eye witness, a dear hunter named "Doc". Doc says he saw the Grafton Monster a week and a half earlier in a field. He was hiding behind some trees when he saw the Grafton monster cross the field near some telephone poles. He also says he's worried this might be a regular travel route for the creature. Trapper asks how the creature walked, and Doc tells him it walked like a human, but with a hunker. All of a sudden a low growl comes from the forest nearby, which the team instantly recognizes it as the Grafton Monster. Trapper is quite excited to hear it, and says it must have just come out for the night, while warning them to stay away. After hearing the noise, Doc is very ready to leave, so the team gives him a lift on the side-by-sides. At the trap site, Willy and Billy have just finished the trap and hooked it with a trip wire to drop the door. With the trap ready to be tested, the rest of the team arrives, pleased with the trap. After testing the trap, Buck, as usual, is left with the job of baiting it, with cow afterbirth. Upon nightfall, the team gets ready for the final night hunt, and breaks into two teams, Alpha team; Trapper, Huckleberry, and Wild Bill, and Bravo team; Buck, Willy, and Jeff. Alpha team will push the Grafton monster near Wolfie's holler, while Bravo team will push him near the hunting trail, towards the trap. Finally, Huckleberry reminds the team to be extra careful of the rough terrain. During the hunt, Buck's team finds a large dirtpile, which Willy climbs on top of, and notices a tree shaking not far from both teams. Trapper tells Buck to slowly push the monster towards the trap. Suddenly, Trapper's team hears shuffling and growling from behind them, and then a noise like something hitting metal. Following the sounds, the trio finds an old oiltank, covered in blood. Trapper walks up a staircase to the top, and discovers the head of a dear, and it's hindquarters. Shocked that the Grafton Monster is fast enough to catch a deer and worried for the team's safety, Trapper calls the others to regroup. Once the team has regrouped, Trapper explains to them what happened, and Huckleberry says the Grafton Monster may be more dangerous now that it's tasted blood. Then, a sound comes from the woods, but Jeff is unable to detect it on his thermal. They hear more and more branches snapping, coming from all around, so the team is forced to take a defensive position. Jeff finally picks up something big on his camera, but it disappears over a cliff. Jeff says he thinks the Grafton monster is taunting them. The team heads in the direction of the creature and hear more sounds, followed with another low growl. Trapper sends Willy and Bill to push the creature in front of them again. Willy says he hears the Grafton Monster trying to sneak behind them, but eventually catches a glimpse and the pair give chase, coming across a blood stain on the ground an a huge footprint. Besides the footprint there is also drag marks, meaning the Grafton monster is carrying the rest of the deer. Willy soon finds another footprint several yards away on the other side of a mud patch, saying he caught a glimpse of the beast in the air. Trapper determines the creature is bucking down the trail towards the trap. Taking to the side-by-sides, the team drives to the trap, only to find the door is still up and there's nothing inside. Trapper notices the bait is gone too, and on top of the trap is the rest of the deer, meaning the creature was on top of the trap, finishing it's meal. This is proven when they find more tracks in the dirt, and Willy notices scratch marks on the side of the trap. Although the monster is not in the trap, with the evidence they have found, the team concludes they have definetly proven the Grafton monster exists in Taylor county. However, as the team angrily discuss their failure, the monster's growl once more sounds from the woods. The team, now ready to open fire at the creature, are ready for Trapper's order to do so. But that order never comes, as nobody can even see the creature, even on the thermal camera, so the team slowly returns to the side-by-side's to leave. Category:Cryptids Category:Episodes Category:Season 2